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Steinhaus will officiate Bundesliga matches as of next season.
Steinhaus will officiate Bundesliga matches as of next season.

Bibiana Steinhaus to become the Bundesliga’s first female referee

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Bibiana Steinhaus will become the first woman ever to officiate in the German top flight after being named on the DFB’s list of referees for the 2017/18 Bundesliga season.

The 38-year-old police officer has overseen Bundesliga 2 matches since 2011, and also refereed the women’s gold medal match between Japan and the United States at the London Olympic games in 2012, but she was nonetheless overwhelmed by her nomination.

“When Lutz Michael Fröhlich [the head of German referees] informed me, I was quite speechless,” Steinhaus told the official DFB website on Friday. “I feel disbelief, joy, happiness, relief, curiosity - it was simply a roller-coaster ride of emotions!”

“It has always been my dream to be a Bundesliga referee. That this dream will come true naturally fills me with joy. On one hand it is confirmation of my hard work, and on the other hand it is a great incentive to continue to work hard.”